Lydia and her parents are preparing to leave on the Oregon Trail, but Lydia is about to burst with sadness at the thought of leaving her beloved Grandma behind. So Grandma takes Lydia by the hand, and through a very special walk teaches her how to say good-bye, and more importantly, how to keep love alive. Lydia learns that distance can never separate people who love each other. As the wagon leaves the farm, Lydia is filled with hope knows most certainly that Grandma will always be with her in heart. Kisses on the Wind is a celebration of love and a testament on how to share that love with others.

How it was written. . .

This is the book that is closest to my heart because it came directly from my own childhood. My Grandma and Grandpa Crockett lived in Florida, and I lived in Iowa, and I only got to see them twice a year. When it came time to go home after a visit, I was torn with grief. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving them. Grandma taught me ways to handle this separation. She told me that every night she would pray for me, and I could pray for her. We would know each night as we snuggled in our beds that we were thinking of each other and loving each other.
Through the years, Grandma gave me other gifts that helped me carry her in my heart. She wrote stories for my sister, Sindy, and me. She wrote the stories, drew the pictures, and bound them up with bright yarn. Then she’d mail them to us, and on some golden days, some treasure days, we’d find the stories in the mailbox. I still have those stories, and I consider them some of my finest treasures. And it is because of those stories, that I began to dream of becoming a children’s author. Years and years later, as Kisses on the Wind becomes a book, the circle that started so long ago is completed.

I feel extremely blessed to be able to share Kisses on the Wind with others. I hope it brings comfort and peace to people struggling with separation. I hope it shows how to keep love alive and happy. And so by doing that, Grandma’s lessons will continue on. Grandma would have loved that. She would have loved that a whole bunch.

Awards and Recognition

• Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Gold Medal

• Selected as an Outstanding Book by a Wisconsin book creator for 2010 by the Children's Book Award Committee of the Wisconsin Library Association's Youth Services.

Reviews• “Set in the time of the great westward expansion, this poignant story tells of a love big enough to span impossible distances – yet small enough to be carried inside our hearts.”